Chapter 714: Buddha in the Human World

The various kingdoms attacked Tang, and the smoke of war rose everywhere.

The Buddhist sect had always been a vassal of the Haotian Dao; although the Yuelun Kingdom had joined the war, the Hanging Temple—one of the Four Unknowable Places—had remained silent, not even sending out a single successor.

This was not because the Hanging Temple had truly become a place beyond the world, focused on inner peace. It was because the Hanging Temple had reached a moment of life and death, and even if they had the heart to join the war, they could not spare the manpower.

Bright bell tolls echoed between the majestic mountain peaks, echoing through hundreds of temples; one could not know how many monks were startled awake. Compared to the distant and tranquil tolls of the past, today's bell tolls carried an anxious mood, and even a hint of clanging slaughter.

——Because the bell tolls were a warning.

The bell tolls conveyed countless pieces of information and also pointed out the direction.

One could not know how many monks walked out from temple after temple, heading toward the mountain peaks.

At the foot of the mountain, they switched to swift horses, turning into streaks of dust, galloping along the mountain paths toward the dark, underground wilderness.

This time, many monks descended the mountain; it would not be an exaggeration to describe it as the entire nest moving out.

Facing waves of attacks as surging as the tide, if they were repelled once more, then the lowly people of the Underground World would tread their filthy feet upon the holy mountain paths.

To all the monks, this was an unimaginable humiliation.

The underground wilderness was vast and boundless; for countless years in the past, there had only been the sound of chanting, but today it was filled with the sounds of battle, dust flying everywhere, and the roars of slaughter and the clashing of weapons could be heard everywhere, while the sound of compassionate chanting was hidden within, appearing eerie.

The former Buddha Kingdom had turned into a battlefield, and the once-pious believers had long since transformed into bloodthirsty Asuras.

However, if killing is a sin, then this Human Buddha Land has actually always been an Asura field.

From the moment the Buddha Kingdom was established, it was an Asura field.

On the battlefield, the former serfs held weapons, roaring and slaughtering.

Flames burned in their eyes; they were no longer flames of anger, but flames of hope.

Victory was near.

The Ultimate Bliss Pure Land was also near.

As long as they won, they would not need to struggle in the world of hell, nor would they need to fight for their lives against others; they could step into the Pure Land and obtain eternal happiness.

Among the crowd, Xiao Heizi Zhuo Er was also waving the long saber in his hand; the blade light was like a streak of blood-colored rainbow, and even the so-called "Living Buddha" who had descended from the Divine Mountain could rarely resist the blade in his hand.

After killing Wei Guangming in Chang'an City, he had found the Great General Xia Hou and engaged in a battle with him, killing Xia Hou at the cost of falling in cultivation realm, and suffering heavy injuries himself.

He had recuperated for quite some time before returning to the Underground World. The enemies who deserved to die had all been killed; now, his only obsession was to help this group of serfs break their shackles.

The former Buddhist World Walker Qinian also appeared on the battlefield with his hands pressed together; he did not kill, but layers of Jinguang radiated from his body like a wall of light, resisting the countless arrows shot at him.

The Flower Addict Lu Chenjia was the commander of the army, her beautiful, petal-like face faintly carrying a cruel intent.

This battle was fought from dawn until dusk, and from dusk until nightfall. Borrowing the moonlight in the sky, they continued to fight. Both sides were like tireless machines, fighting incessantly until late at night, when both sides finally began to withdraw their troops for a brief rest. But as soon as the sky turned slightly bright, the serfs began to launch their attack.

The battle continued day after day.

It was so bloody and cruel.

Yet after each day's battle, the Hanging Temple's side, besides leaving behind corpse after corpse, would be pushed back a distance.

One step back.

Step by step back.

Facing millions of serfs, they could only retreat.

Finally, after half a month of fighting, the front lines of both sides had been pushed to the foot of the Divine Mountain.

"Could it be that Haotian wants to destroy our Hanging Temple?" Many monks had tears in their eyes, kneeling directly on the ground, filled with despair.

"The Buddha is merciful, allowing you sinful people to find shelter in the underground, to wash away your sins through labor so that you may enter the Pure Land in the future. Now you have committed treason, completely forgetting your status as sinful people, and you will surely go to hell in the future..." Some monks shouted and cursed, but before they could finish their words, they were struck in the throat by an arrow.

More and more monks were dying.

The remaining monks were all in despair.

Was the Buddha Kingdom to be destroyed today?

Destroyed at the hands of the lowly, ant-like Herdsmen?

And the Herdsmen, who were fighting desperately, looked at the mountain peaks that were almost within reach, each revealing a look of fanaticism.

Boom!

Suddenly, the earth shook.

Boom! Boom!

The shaking became more violent, and the ground cracked into huge gullies; many Herdsmen and monks fell directly into the cracks and gullies.

"Th-this, what is happening? Is it an earthquake?"

"Although there are occasional earthquakes at the Hanging Temple, they have never been this turbulent."

The ground trembled incessantly, and the two sides fighting stopped. In this shaking, they could not even stand steady, let alone fight.

"No, it's not an earthquake, it's the Divine Mountain shaking!

"

Only then did everyone realize that the massive mountain was swaying, and countless huge stones were rolling down, smashing into the ground and kicking up massive amounts of dust that swept across all directions. The temples on the mountain tilted, and the great halls collapsed. Bodhisattvas, Lohans, Golden Body Dharma Images, the Great Hero Treasure Hall, and small wild temples all returned to dust and earth. Fortunately, because of the serf rebellion, almost all the monks had descended the mountain, otherwise, one could only fear how many would have died at this moment.

"What is going on?"

"Could it be that the Buddha is angry?"

Facing this scene, everyone was filled with fear and anxiety, only running for their lives to avoid being crushed by the falling rocks.

As countless mountain rocks peeled off and fell, the original Divine Mountain had "thinned" by a large circle, and everyone vaguely discovered that the shape of the Divine Mountain now appeared to be a giant human figure.

As more and more stones fell, the outline became clearer and clearer.

Monks were already kneeling on the ground, kowtowing incessantly toward that blurry outline, not stopping even when their heads were broken and bleeding, their faces showing fanaticism and piety.

The Herdsmen, however, revealed emotions of shock and fear.

Some Herdsmen even knelt down along with the monks, kowtowing incessantly.

When the last excess stone fell, a giant Buddha, standing a thousand zhang tall, appeared before everyone.

The great Buddha smiled while holding a flower, his expression serene.

The pear tree from which Yu Liancheng once plucked a green pear on the mountain was the very flower held in the hand of the Great Buddha.

The Great Buddha radiated hundreds of millions of Jinguang from his entire body, his brows lowered, revealing a trace of compassion as he softly chanted a Buddha name.

Yet this Buddha name, falling upon the others, especially the rebelling Herdsmen, was no less than a violent thunderclap blooming within their minds. The vast majority of the Herdsmen cast aside their weapons, tears streaming down their faces, kowtowing in repentance. Only a few experts like Zhuo Er and Lu Chenjia were able to resist. And under the impact of the Buddha light, Qinian also regained his clarity.

The Scripture-Lecturing Peak Master did not know when he had appeared among the monks of the Hanging Temple.

The Black Cicada between his brows had already vanished, and his strength had long since been restored. Watching the Herdsmen kowtowing one by one, he shook his head; before the Buddha, what use was the resistance of so many serfs?

"Namo Pure Land, Wuliang Zhongsheng Fo is here."

Yet at this very moment, a sound of Sanskrit rang out here once more; in the void, no one knew when another Great Buddha had appeared. It was likewise a thousand feet tall, with the same compassionate brows and eyes. It was only that he was draped in a black cassock and his feet trod upon black golden lotuses. If one looked closely, one would discover that the appearance of this Great Buddha was remarkably similar to Yu Liancheng.

"Evil Demon monster, reveal your true form at once."